Upgrade to the kayak trailer
Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 2:46 pm
A couple weeks ago I posted that we did the annual service on the kayak trailer. 
That's what keeps it in top shape. It's always been a joy to use, except.. 
... all the other trailers and equipment on the farm have been converted to 2" tongues ... at least the ones we pull with the trucks. When we decide to go fishing we have been having to swap out to the 1-7/8 ball. Not that it's that big a deal, but ... why swap?
I finally got around to ordering a 2" tongue for the Yakima trailer for the kayaks and I went out ten days or so ago to install it. Pull a few bolts, put them back and done, right?
Ah... no. 
Seems that the bolt pattern on the 2" coupler was a tad wider than the one on the 1-7/8 so it was going to take some finesse to get 'er done. Rather than have that happen IN the boathouse, where it was about 95 degrees, I decided to wait a few days, and pull the trailer into the woodshop where it was Air Conditioned and all my tools were, and do the job right.
Rather than pull the entire trailer in, the yakima design let me pull the tongue and take just that. First step, pull the bolts, the handle, the security cables and all the hardware and lay them on the bench... after cleaning them all up.
Next I cleaned up the tongue... and got it ready... removing any traces of oil and road grime.
Then I pulled the wiring harness, leaving a length of surveyer's line thru the tongue to assist in running the harness back thru...
After cleaning the manufacturer's label off the tongue, the hardest part of this entire process, I got the new tongue in place, clamped, and the tongue level, and put a few drops of oil in place and then Drilled the hole in a slow pass straight thru. Not hard, but slow and careful thru the aluminum.
Once the hole was drilled and all the shavings cleaned out, the harness was reinstalled, the new coupler put in place, and the tongue installed back on the trailer. Testing the lights and the lockup, all worked great. 
The unexpected downside... ? NO handle for rolling the kayaks around... I'll have to make one, or adapt the old one.
We towed the trailer yesterday, and everything worked as advertised. Nice to use the drawbar already on the truck and not have to swap.
That's what keeps it in top shape. It's always been a joy to use, except.. ... all the other trailers and equipment on the farm have been converted to 2" tongues ... at least the ones we pull with the trucks. When we decide to go fishing we have been having to swap out to the 1-7/8 ball. Not that it's that big a deal, but ... why swap?I finally got around to ordering a 2" tongue for the Yakima trailer for the kayaks and I went out ten days or so ago to install it. Pull a few bolts, put them back and done, right?
Ah... no. Seems that the bolt pattern on the 2" coupler was a tad wider than the one on the 1-7/8 so it was going to take some finesse to get 'er done. Rather than have that happen IN the boathouse, where it was about 95 degrees, I decided to wait a few days, and pull the trailer into the woodshop where it was Air Conditioned and all my tools were, and do the job right. Rather than pull the entire trailer in, the yakima design let me pull the tongue and take just that. First step, pull the bolts, the handle, the security cables and all the hardware and lay them on the bench... after cleaning them all up.
- 01 removed all the hardware.jpg (163.56 KiB) Viewed 4453 times
- 02 cleaned up the tongue.jpg (130.13 KiB) Viewed 4453 times
- 03 pulled the harness.jpg (119.3 KiB) Viewed 4453 times
- 04 ready to drill.jpg (153.26 KiB) Viewed 4453 times
The unexpected downside... ? NO handle for rolling the kayaks around... I'll have to make one, or adapt the old one. We towed the trailer yesterday, and everything worked as advertised. Nice to use the drawbar already on the truck and not have to swap.
